Indian Premier League 2014: Players to be auctioned in rupees

Rajeev Shukla is in negotiations with Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Pitbull to perform at the opening ceremony of the IPL

By Cricket Zone

Fri, Mar 22, 2013 13:24:21 GMT

The high-profile Indian Premier League auction of its players will take place in Indian National Currency, rupees instead of American dollars from the year 2014. It is an effort to bring an Indian essence to the league.

"A colossal IPL auction shall take place next season that too in Indian rupees which shall indeed be a fascinating scenario for the franchises and viewers alike. But right now, we are adroitly working towards exporting the revered IPL brand to new frontiers with the idea to make IPL 6 bigger than IPL 5 in every capacity," said the IPL Chairman, Rajeev Shukla.

Since, Rajeev Shukla took over as chairman of the IPL, a couple of changes have taken place as Pepsi became the new title sponsor replacing DLF. The Hyderabad Deccan Chargers have been disbanded and the franchise has been taken over by Sun Direct TV.

"The IPL is a vastly expansive product hence my role as chairman demands diverse deliberations and decision making for various scenarios. The Pepsi title sponsorship deal showcased IPL's credentials as an immensely successful brand as the amount being paid by Pepsi is double of what was being paid to IPL by DLF earlier. As far as Deccan Chargers are considered, we tried our level best to resolve their issues but unfortunately an amicable solution could not be reached for the same," said Rajeev Shukla.

However, Mr.Shukla was happy with the successful franchise auction as Sunrisers Hyderabad won the bid for Hyderabad. When asked about Pakistani cricketers not taking part in the IPL, Rajeev Shukla said "We are not at all against Pakistan. Pakistan coaches, umpires and support staffs have been working with various franchises in the IPL from the beginning. But as far as the allowing Pakistan cricketers are concerned, it's a big decision and it has to be taken after discussing in detail with concerned franchises."

What comes as great news for IPL viewers and fans is the fact that Rajeev Shukla is in negotiations with Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Pitbull et al to perform at the opening ceremony at the Yuba Bharati Kirangan in Kolkata. Though who is going to perform is yet to be decided.

The IPL Chairman begged to differ on critics' view that IPL has lost its charm over the years.

"I would completely disagree with the critics as IPL Season 5 witnessed record turnouts at all the stadiums. Almost all venues (Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Kolkata etc) were sold out for the entire season. It was watched in 192 countries across the world. Hence, the IPL is only getting bigger as every season progresses," said Mr.Rajeev Shukla.